Case against vet for issuing fitness certificate for wounded elephant

The Forest Department has decided to book the veterinarian, who issued a fitness certificate for an injured elephant, to enable its parading at a temple festival here last week.

According to officials, a meeting of the District Captive Elephant Coordination Committee convened by District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla has entrusted N.A. Anaz, Assistant Conservator, Social Forestry, Ernakulam, to initiate action against the Kochi-based veterinarian for allegedly issuing a bogus fitness certificate to the animal. The direction was based on a report by the assistant veterinary officer with the Forest Department, which suggested a misrepresentation of facts in the fitness certificate.

“A case will be registered against the Kochi-based vet, who issued the fitness certificate to elephant Kuttisankaran, by invoking the provisions of the Wildlife Act and other relevant laws,” Mr. Anaz said. The tusker, owned by a Thrissur native, had a deep wound on one of its hind limbs but was paraded at the Pattupurakkavu temple here last week. On an alert by volunteers of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a team of forest officials examined the sick animal and issued a warning against parading it. The official warning, however, was defied when the animal was paraded during the festival later on the same day.

The department has already approached the Kerala State Veterinary Council against the doctor, who allegedly issued the fitness certificate to Kuttisankaran without examining the animal.

According to Mr. Safirulla, only the forest veterinary officer in Kodanad is mandated to issue fitness certificate for pachyderms during the ongoing festival season is. From the next season onwards, a panel comprising five government veterinary officers will be constituted for the purpose.

The meeting also imposed a ban on shifting of pachyderms from one location to another between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.